The Sauber Formula One team will not search for a replacement for their recently-departed technical director James Key, despite confirming last week that he has departed the team to take up a new position at another team.
Key's departure was confirmed last week, shortly before the team launched their new 2012 C31 car in Jerez on Monday.
The team confirmed his departure at the same time as announcing a technical restructure, which would see the department heads for Aerodynamics, Design, Performance and Operations jointly lead development of their new car.
And speaking after the car's launch on Monday, Sauber CEO Monisha Kalternborn said that the team was not planning to replace Key in the long-term.
She also explained that the split between the tech chief and the team had been on the cards for some time.
"For a while both sides have been feeling that things have not really been working out and also not [in the way] both sides had expected, I guess that this situation is now a result of that," she shrugged at reporters.
"James Key joined us at a time when we were in the transformation from a works team to a private team and his contribution was very valuable to the team and we are very thankful to him for that.
"We now have a structure in place that we are confident about and one that is the right one for the team to go ahead. So it's not a short-term solution for us but a long-term."
She added that there was no truth to suggestions that Sauber were not going to replace Key simply because of a lack of funds.
"I will use this opportunity to clarify another point," she growled, "There are articles around that state we will not replace our technical director because we apparently lack funds.
"Just to be very clear and open here, I think if we look back 20 years the team has always lacked funds. The gap is maybe this big or this big or maybe smaller, but it was always there.
"I think you will see the day when there is no gap in our budget because then we will be near the front.
"I think it's easy to monitor and I just wanted to clarify that situation once and for all."
And she also suggested that the loss of Key so soon before the start of the new season would not disrupt their 2012 plans.
"Now the people in charge of the performance of the car have already been there, so they have been in charge of it before as well and we don't expect any kind of destabilisation to happen," she rambled.
"Moreover, the car is ready, we know what our plan is so we really don't expect this."
She added: "We are not looking for a replacement because we are convinced the structure we have is the right one for the team."
Key has left the team to take a new role at a rival team, though details of which team have not yet been revealed.
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